Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Small Business Makes BIG Donation to Hurricane Sandy Children



Newberg, Oregon – Judith Raye Paintings, LLC (http://www.judithraye.com) is partnering with Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. (K.I.D.S.)( http://www.kidsdonations.org)  and has already donated dozens of new toddler tee-shirts and onesies from their Inspired by Caden collection to children affected by Hurricane Sandy.  

According to Smith, she is honored to be working with a charity that already does so much for needy children. K.I.D.S. helps children that are victims in a variety of situations. In the days following Hurricane Sandy, they mobilized their resources and immediately established a Hurricane Relief Fund to respond to the need for new products for children and families affected by the super storm.

According to the K.I.D.S. VP, Chris Blake, the agencies in the affected communities are in dire need of new apparel, blankets, shoes, toys, baby products and books.  K.I.D.S. has set up major distribution sites in Queens, New Jersey and other locations. For more information about K.I.D.S. and how you can help, visit their website at http://www.kidsdonations.org.
Judith Raye Smith is a grandmother who started painting to decorate her granddaughter’s walls. Her adventure has turned into much more and her one-of-a-kind artwork is now sold on clothing, note cards and other products. You can learn more about her products, and more specifically her efforts to help in the Hurricane Sandy relief, at her website http://www.judithraye.com/online-store/#!/~/category/id=4015029&offset=0&sort=normal

Smith is the owner and co-creator, with her husband Rawlen, of Judith Raye Paintings, LLC.  She can be reached for comment at judithraye@frontier.com or by phone at 503.784.9638.

Judith Raye Paintings, LLC online: http://www.judithraye.com
Judith Raye on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/JudithRayeArt

Monday, December 3, 2012

Have you identified and protected your intellectual property?



Intellectual Property (IP) isn’t just for the engineers – every business has IP. Have you identified and protected yours? This doesn’t have to be an expensive, lengthy process. Traklight makes it easy to identify and protect your IP today.  Traklight understands that every dollar counts when you are launching a start up.

ID your IP is an easy to use, cost effective program designed by a team of legal professionals specializing in IP identification. The result: A report unique to your business that outlines your potential intellectual property and what you need to do to protect it.

The IP Vault is used to store, organize and verify your IP.  Simply upload to Traklight’s secure site and we’ll time-stamp, store and protect your documents.  A perfect tool, giving you easy access and peace of mind that your ideas are safe and critical dates can be verified by the click of a button.

But as inventors you may ask if the AIA makes inventorship and some of the record keeping and dates obsolete? Traklight’s CPO Eric Menkhus discusses below:

The US patent system is about to undergo one of the most extensive changes in its history, moving away from “first to invent” system that has been the backbone of the US patent system for as long as any of us can remember.

The America Invent Act (AIA) will start being phased in starting in March 2013, implementing many changes that will move the US patent system closer to the systems of many foreign countries. 

But will the change make inventorship obsolete in the US? After all, most foreign jurisdictions operate on a "first to file" system that rewards those that file a patent application first and not those who invent first.

The short answer to whether inventorship will still matter in the US is YES! Here are a couple important reasons why inventorship will still matter:

1. The AIA will not move the US to a pure "first to file" system. The AIA implements a system that rewards the first INVENTOR to file. So, proving inventorship of the patentable subject matter will still be an important step to obtaining and/or defending a patent.

2. Date of invention will still matter, although in a different manner than under the old system.  In the "first to invent" system, the person that invented first received priority when to applications were filed on the same invention, so proving an invention date was critical.  Under the new system, the date of invention can still be important in situations in which one party is trying to prove that the other merely copied their invention and are not inventors and cannot, therefore, obtain a patent on the invention. Being able to show when an invention was made and other important dates such as publication, etc. can greatly assist an inventor in proving that someone else filed an application based on learning about the inventor's idea.

So what does this mean? This means that keeping updated notes and dates will still be important under the AIA.  Don't throw away those inventors' notebooks! Or, of course, you can migrate your inventors' notebook and other records online using Traklight's IP Vault so you can have third party verification of dates, times, etc.

Visit www.traklight.com to learn more about identifying and protecting your IP. Before you disclose your IP, before you raise capital, before you go to market. Go to Traklight today!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Giuliana and Bill Rancic Receive Women Invented Products Welcoming Little Edward Duke

The Womentorz and MommyPerks network of talented women inventors and entrepreneurs have always had a warm place in their heart for Bill and Giuliana Rancic.  Their journey through fighting breast cancer and struggles with infertility have inspired and given hope to so many women in our network.  

Now that the Rancics have little Edward Duke in their lives to bring some happiness after so much adversity, our network wanted to show their gratitude for everything they have shared in their journey.

The women owned businesses featured below have created one of a kind inventions through hard work and determination during a tough economy.  They truly represent what our country was built on.  Please support these businesses by visiting their sites, purchasing their products and sharing with your friends and family.  


Every product in this gifting would make a wonderful Holiday gift!


Here are the businesses who sent their congratulations to Giuliana, Bill and Baby Duke:

Castle & Bay
There are very few products on the market that directly address the issue of a person not being able to lie on their stomach in comfort while reading, sunbathing, or simply relaxing and that also provide a multitude of other ergonomic uses.  The creation of the Sphinx Personal Lounger bridges the gap between inflatable & hard chairs with the benefits of comfort, ergonomics, versatility and convenience. The Sphinx comes in a mesh carry bag the size of a loaf of bread, weighs 2 lbs and takes only 12 breaths to inflate.

 

Board Book Albums
Take Your Pix® photo albums (patent pending) by Board Book Albums, LLC have sturdy cardboard pages, into which photos can be inserted from openings in the top of the pages.  Unlike traditional photo albums, Take Your Pix® board book albums have thick rigid pages that won’t bend or tear, so they’re perfect for kids to handle (like children’s board book storybooks). Recent product awards include Dr.Toy’s Best Vacation Children’s Products 2011, Kidlutions Preferred Product Award 2011, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Awards, and many others.


Check the Girls
Check the girls.™  What do those words mean?  They mean to educate yourself about your personal breast cancer risk, to know your options based on your risk, to take your health into your own hands (literally), and to love yourself enough to laugh along the way, even if it’s painful.  Visit our website and consider making a purchase from the “Wear and Share” page.  Why?  Because our items are fun and cute, but even more importantly, 50% of all retail proceeds are donated to non-profit organizations that provide funding for FREE mammograms for uninsured women.
Bucklebopper
Bucklebopper™ is a tool designed to unbuckle a child’s car seat without using fingers or thumbs.  It fits in the palm of the left or right hand and is ideal for anyone with Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel, Tendonitis or hand pain or weakness as a result of injury or illness.  It is simply a better button pusher and will work on any stubborn button or latch, including a regular passenger seatbelt buckle.
Hot Girls Pearls
HOT GIRLS PEARLS are the first fashion forward FROZEN JEWELRY designed to help women keep cool and look hot! Filled with a nontoxic ‘Secret Sauce’, just store your ‘pearls’ in the freezer, and enjoy cool relief!



PAK BARA
If you want freedom and convenience, THINK PAK BARA. No more worries about wearing clothes without pockets to carry your stuff. No more lugging around the kitchen sink when you want to get out the door quickly. No more sporting the ridiculous looking fanny pack. PAK BARA is your solution. It is amazingly versatile and uniquely designed for comfort and security. There are NO LIMITS. Make your life a little less hectic with a PAK BARA.

{If you choose to purchase something from Pak Bara, the creators of this fine product are offering a 25% off discount code using: Edward Duke}




Esse Reuseable Bags
The CarryAll Tote is a one-of-a-kind stylish way to keep your bags clean and organized. Holds enough bags for a full grocery cart and has extra pockets to hold your lists and coupons. Made from recycled plastic bottles (rPET), are lead free and machine washable!



Creative Commodities
Can’t get the lost drawstring in the tunnel of your favorite hoodie?…That’s aggravating! Can’t get the lost drawstring in the tunnel of your favorite sweatpants?…Now that’s an invitation for an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction! Fix your clothes in a flash with The Drawstring Tool®…Just hook it, Pull it and GO!





We are using #BillGiulianaRancicGifting on Twitter during the promotion of this gifting so you can follow the fun!

Click Here to see more photos of the gifting along with the creation process
Click here to read the MommyPerks post about this gifting. 

Click Here to read what businesses who have gifting with Celeb Hoopla are saying.

Celeb Hoopla  is a joint effort between Womentorz and Mommy Perks. Long ago, our clients asked that we offer this service and we agreed to do so. Combining the gifting with SEO + blog posts + promotions is one way we can support moms in business. 

 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

FundaGeek Premium Marketing Offer Only for Womentorz Network




It was wonderful to hear from FundaGeek that so many of you have signed up on FundaGeek, the UIA supported Crowdfunding site for Inventors.

We just received word from FundaGeek that several of you have started building your Crowdfunding projects.  We’re so happy that you’ve decided to take advantage of this new funding paradigm.

In support of all the new Womentorz signups FundaGeek is going to extend their special offer to the first two of our members who launch a project on FundaGeek. The first two projects that launch will receive Premium Marketing Resources at no additional charge. This enhanced marketing support is provided by FundaGeek and usually costs an additional 4%. 

This special offer is only available to the first two Womentorz members who launch their crowdfunding project on FundaGeek before November 30th.

You can read about Premium Marketing here:

Or better still, start building your project at FundaGeek's Inventors portal and win this valuable prize:

In order to be eligible for this special offer, FundaGeek has to know that you came to them from Womentorz. So please, when you sign up you’ll receive their confirmation of registering email and it also asks you how they heard about FundaGeek. YOU NEED TO RESPOND INDICATING WOMENTORZ.

You’ll find FundaGeek is very supportive and will greatly assist you in building a project on their site.